The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-04-07
NOTES ON CORN.
A Few SeasOnsble Suggestions on the Be.
lection of variety and Seed.

lection Of variety and Seed.
1t has only been for few years bacl
that seed field corn was very extensive
ly advertised. I might say that onl,
within six or eight years has there beer
much trade in selected seed corn excep
in local way. This of itself indicate.
desire on the part of many for bettel
seed. for Improvement in yield. and, Il
possible. in quality of crop. Yet it i:
the firm conviction of the writer that
this very exchange of seed corn over
wide areas is detrimental to the inter.
ests of farmers and will never solve the
problem of how to obtain improved
varieties. It also opens the door for
any amount of fraud, which we are
abundantly satisfied has been practiced
without stint. We say this after pro.
curing, carefully examining. and grow
ing several hundred samples during the
past four years.
With corn as with wheat, slight
variation in appearance of different
samples entities each to distinct name,
and in the Judgment of interested parties
it is often made to appear that this or
that variety is of vast Importance. The
fact is that very few specimens of corn
are worthy the name of variety, in the
sense that it is applied. For in speaking
Of variety in regard to corn, we carry
the impression that it is certain dis
tinct type which will breed reasonably
true. Botanically, all corn-dent, flint,
sweet, pop and soft-belongs to the
species len mays, and these divisions
ore varieties of this species. But each
one of these divisions has well-marked
and quite permanent characteristics
which entities it to be called at least
sub-species. which will admit of the
term variety being applied to their
variations. Take the dent sub-species,
and it is perfectly clear that division
may be made on the point of color, into
white, yellow and other colored dent
varieties. And it is also quite as clear
that each distinct color is represented
by several types of ear, as large and
small, or many-rowed and few-rowed
sorts. At some remote period in the
past history of the species, lea mays
was probably represented by few
divergent forms from a common type,
but the fact of its cultivation for an in
definite period of time, under widely
varying conditions of soil and climate,
has brought about many changes, SO
that we are compelled to recognize at
least five sub-species and an almost in
Vulnerable number of varieties and
types of these.
But to get back to selecting our seed
corn. How many farmers have def
mite purpose to improve their corn?
Associations are formed for the inn
provement of live stock, and their re-
suits are very beneficial, and in some
degree we believe that benefits might
arise from concerted action in the inn
provement of corn. The readiness with
which corn cross-fertilizes is a great
bar to its improvement while all sorts
and styles of corn are grown in neigh
boring fields. 1t is well known that
dents. sweets, flints, etc., readily cross
fertilize, if in bloom at the same time,
and that their crosses are perfectly fer
tile, which fact is an important indica-
ton that these divisions are not true
species. Would it not be possible,
through local agricultural societies, to
work up such an interest in the inn
provement of corn that concerted action
could be securedp But whether one
man is working alone, or a whole COM
munity, it is absolutely necessary to
have an ideal, to fix upon some type
toward which to work.
In the first place, the corn selected
must mature within the average corn
season of the locality where it is to be
grown. In selecting toward this end,
the number of rows, or average size of
ear Except of the very large types), is
no sure indication of earliness or late
ness of maturity. Frequently small
cared sorts are late, and others having
good medium ears are comparatively
early; hence do not select by size of ear.
Also another very important matter is
that corn from any considerable dis
tance away is likely to not mature in
the same number of days it did where
formerly grown. I consider the only
safe thing in beginning selection is to
take the best local type obtainable, and
begin work upon it toward the ideal de-
sired.-W B. AtuoOd. in Ohio Farmer.